Masqueraded
by contradictively ironic
Summary: Bella and Edward attend a masquerade ball, hosted by their private boarding schools. Everyone's hiding behind their masks, so when Bella and Edward meet, what have they got to lose? No longer a oneshot. Fluff and drama galore. AU, AH. DISCONTINUED.
1. Masqueraded

**All characters and anything else related to the Twilight saga belong to Stephenie Meyer. In shorter words, I don't own anything.**

**This is just a one-shot for now, but if it there's a lot of positive reviews, then I'll continue it as a new story. All human, slight OOC, AU. Pure fluff fluff fluff.**

**Summary: Bella, Alice, and Rosalie all attend a private boarding school for girls named the Kentwood Preparatory School for Girls in Seattle. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper go to the male counterpart, Hamilton Preparatory School for Boys..just a couple miles down the road. The annual masquerade ball is coming, and guess who's invited? That's right, all your favorite Twilight characters. Bella is offered a dance by Edward, and she's intrigued. They're all hiding their insecurities behind a mask, so what has Bella got to lose? Especially when he's such a good kisser.**

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**Masqueraded**

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**Isabella Swan**

**January 19th**

**7:00 AM - Dorm Room**

"Alice, no. The answer is no," I said, distracted. I was at the moment straightening my tie before our announcements for the morning, but Alice was as always, persistent.

"Please Bella? Come on, last year we didn't go because you weren't confident enough to hang around the older girls, but enough is enough! This year, you have to go to the Masquerade Ball!" whined Alice. She jutted out her bottom lip, only a little bit, barely noticeable. Her eyes widened, giving her the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. I sighed. She was too good at playing hurt.

"I'll think about it, alright? But we better be off to morning announcements. Headmistress Cullen will be expecting us. I don't want to get in trouble again for being late." I remembered the ten minute lecture on timeliness that Miss Irena gave the two of us for missing the first five minutes of announcements. Alice did too, and reluctantly, she nodded and off we went.

There was a cool breeze around campus, extremely chilly for an late January. It's the darn uniforms that they had forced onto us. Who wears short pleated navy skirts in the middle of winter? I wonder if the headmistress wanted us to freeze to death before exams were taken. The blazer I had on was hardly any help, especially since I was wearing a short sleeved oxford shirt underneath.

Even with the uniforms, I was still plain and boring if anyone glanced my way. Despite the fact that they were supposed to create 'equality' amongst the student body, everyone stood out and had a sort of 'school girl' charm. Everyone besides me that is.

Take Mary Alice Brandon for example, or Alice as she's known. Alice is my best friend, and she carried off the uniform well. She was pixie like, with her lithe body. Her short, spiky hair and rose red lips made her a modern day Snow White. So not fair. There's also Rosalie Hale, snow queen extraordinaire. She was friends with Alice as well, and sometimes greeted me if we were passing by. She was definitely the most beautiful girl on the campus by far. Her golden blond hair curved to the middle of the back. She was statuesque, model-like, with violet colored eyes. It was almost sinister how her violet eyes made her even more desirable. She'd easily be on the front page of every magazine in the world if she was discovered. Rumors were that she had been offered, but gracefully declined so she could continue her studies.

On the other hand, there's me, Isabella Swan. I had mud colored hair, and mud colored eyes. My skin was clear, it could even be considered pretty if it wasn't the same shade of pale as the whites of my eyes. I wasn't short, but I wasn't tall either. I suppose I wasn't ugly either, but surely not pretty like Alice or Rosalie. I was just...average, for lack of better words. Nothing special, nor interesting. Like a rock on the sidewalk. Sometimes, every once in a while someone who is walking by may notice it, but most of the time it's ignored. Same with me.

Announcements at Kentwood Prep for Girls usually took a small part of the morning. Everyday, before breakfast began, the entire student body (a total of around two hundred girls, ranging from grades ninth to twelfth) assembled in the auditorium. Alice and I found a few seats nearing the back of the room, and sat with our other friend, Angela Webber. She was a quiet girl, but her sweetness made up for her shyness. She was a lot like me in some ways, and that's why we got along so well.

"What do you suppose the announcements will be about this morning?" asked Angela, curiously.

"Probably the same thing it's been all week. Talk of the Masquerade Ball," I groaned. It seems like everyone in our school was excited for the event. I couldn't blame them though, the ball was the one time of the year when the boys from Hamilton Prep for Boys are allowed to socialize with the girls. We had free time on the weekends to hang out too, but most of the time, we used it to study and work on our extracurriculars. After all, Kentwood was known for it's difficult subjects and coursework. But hey, it's all worth it when we get to go to any college of our choosing.

"Good morning girls!" Headmistress Cullen greeted. She was very pretty for a headmistress. She had caramel hair, and a slender body. She was also married to Carlisle Cullen, the headmaster of the boys' school. I've never spoken more than two or three words to her, but she seems like a mother figure, and she didn't have an intimidating stance like some of the other teachers around here.

"Good morning headmistress!"

"As you all know, the Masquerade Ball is tomorrow night. There are a lot of preparations to be done to be ready for it. As such, all classes for today and tomorrow will be canceled."

A loud cheering could be heard echoing in the large room. Alice, who had always had sensitive ears was clutching her ears in agony. Poor Alice. Even with my normal hearing the cheering was starting to ache. I can only imagine how much worse it was for Alice.

Headmistress Cullen cut the roar of noise before Alice was permanently deafened. "Enough. In their place, your classes have been replaced with lessons. There are different lessons and courses to be taken. There are ballroom dancing skills, manners and proper dining workshop, the fashion committee, etc. Proceed to your normal teachers and they'll tell you which room you've been assigned to. Don't forget, there's a 12:00 curfew. Anyone caught not in bed by that time will face serious consequences. Now, let's have breakfast, shall we?"

Alice and Angela were deep in conversation when we were finishing up our toast with eggs.

"This is so exciting! We're going to have a blast. I mean, a night of romance and dancing. With boys! How much better can this get?" said Alice cheerfully.

"Alice, I'd have to disagree. This is a night of wearing too high heels with too long dresses with a insanely high possibility of tripping on said dress or taking part of some other humiliation," I complained. Normally I wouldn't be this grumpy, and I was sort of excited at the chance of meeting Prince Charming, but, I wasn't a dancer. I couldn't dance. I shouldn't dance. I shouldn't even be allowed to walk. I had enough trouble maneuvering on a flat, stable surface; dancing would just be a nightmare.

"Bella, please! You never have any fun. Every time I invite you for a night on the town with Rosalie, you always say no. It's all about your studies, but you're extremely intelligent already! You're never going to meet anyone that makes you weak in the knees if you stay cooped up in our dorm. One night won't kill you," Alice reasoned. Angela watched the both of us as we bickered, with a flicker of amusement in her eyes. People at neighboring tables were stifling their laughter. There's a reason why; they already knew that Alice was going to win this battle. Like she always does.

"Fine. I'll go. But on one condition."

"What is it?" Angela and her asked in unison.

"You won't have any part in matching me up with anyone. I'll find someone on my own who is willing to dance with me, if anyone is willing at all. All I want is one night of letting loose, no strings or ties. Including a relationship."

**Edward Masen**

**January 19th**

**12:13 PM - Cafeteria**

Emmett McCarty, Jasper Hale, and I were sitting at a round table in the cafeteria. It was lunch time and the room was buzzing with laughter and chatter. I was about to take a bite out of my chicken salad when Emmett interrupted me.

"So Eddie, you going to be going to the ball thing? The one hosted at the girls' school?" Emmett asked through a mouthful of food. I winced, that was a habit that got on my nerves. His curly dark hair and large muscular body reminded me of one of those men on the paper towel covers. The ones wearing plaid shirts and carrying an axe.

I scowled. "I don't know, maybe. And it's Edward, Emmett. I don't go around calling you Emmy do I?" If he wasn't my best friend, and if I hadn't known him for four years, it would've irritated me more when he called me that stupid nickname.

To tell you the truth, I was deliberating whether or not I should go. But my friends have all been on my back about getting out there and meeting girls. It's not that I don't want to meet anybody; actually that didn't seem too bad. But this is called a masquerade ball for a reason. We're all hiding out identities, who we really are. It's pretty ridiculous. All it is is a night to pretend to be someone else.

"Come on Edward. You have to go! Think of all the chicks there that are waiting for us," argued Jasper. He was my other best friend at this school, lean and tall. Last year he was only 5'6, and over the summer he had an ridiculous growth spurt, towering at six foot three. He had a sister too, Rosalie who went to our sister school.

"Yeah! Come on dude, the girls will be all over you."

"Yeah, what Emmy said. You're not bad looking of a guy, but don't go curtsying to me anytime soon," Jazz laughed.

I thought about it for a minute. My two best friends stared at me in anticipation.

"Fine. I'll go," I muttered, defeated.

**Isabella Swan**

**January 19th**

**2:35 pm - Dance Workshop**

Ballroom dancing is clearly a creation of the devil. Who is stupid enough to think that this would be a good idea?

"Remember, you must always let your partner lead. Careful not to step on your partners' feet," our instructor Tanya informed us. She gave a knowing look my way. Tanya was our Physical Education teacher and she knew what she was talking about. She'd seen me trip on the track more times than I can count.

It's been a grueling hour and a half, but we only had fifteen minutes left. Fifteen minutes left of torture. I began counting down the seconds.

"Isabella!" I jumped in shock.

"Would you care to demonstrate?" Tanya asked. I shook my head in defiance. No, no, no way! Tanya knew that I'd be the worst example, and yet she still chose me. I swear these teachers are out to get me.

"Get up, you silly girl. Up, up, up!" Obviously I wasn't going to win this battle, so I gave up and stood in front of Tanya. I need to learn how everyone seems to be able to walk all over me. How did Alice do it so easily?

"Yes miss?"

"Put your left hand on my shoulder, and then put your right hand in mine." I followed her instructions. This wasn't too bad.

"Music, please, Kellie!" Kellie Jameson, who was in my class turned on the stereo to play the music. It was a slow, smooth melody.

Tanya began moving without giving me a notice, and I stumbled on the first few steps. "Balance, dear! Keep up, keep up!"

It was all a blur. Finally it was over, and I only managed to trip twice through the whole ordeal. Considering my balance problems, this is a record for me. Our last class of the day was over, and we were to go to the costume department to receive our dresses for the ball.

"Bella! There you are, I was trying to find you." I turned around to see Alice, who had already took off her blazer and loosened her tie, even though it couldn't have been more than forty degrees outside Fahrenheit.

We walked side by side together, me shivering and furiously rubbing my arms for heat. When we finally entered the costume department, the warm air of the building rose my body temperature instantly. I thanked heavens that we had indoor heating. It was my savior from hypothermia. There were girls already inside, trying on clothes in the dressing room. Their uniforms were mixed together on the floor, and squeals of finding the right dress were everywhere.

Alice was fierce. I could tell you that. She was sneaky and did whatever it took in search for the right dress. One girl was crying when Alice had ripped the dress from her hands, only to have it discarded on the floor minutes later. I told her to calm down, or else I'd be rethinking my choice of going to the..thing. Afterward, she was a bit more polite, but only a bit. There was still a lot of pushing and growling.

"Hey Bells?" she asked while shuffling through the many hangers.

"Yeah?" I wasn't really paying attention.. I could care less about wearing a pretty dress and getting made up. Unlike the other girls around me who were already planning on how to do their hair or who they wanted to ask them to dance. If Alice wasn't one of them, I'd call them pathetic.

"I..uh..I sort of invited Rosalie to hang out with us," she blurted out. If I hadn't been paying attention, I would've missed what she said. She blurted it out so fast in a panic that the words were strung together and I had to decipher what it is she wanted.

I had nothing on Rosalie; she and I got along fairly well. We didn't hate each other, but we weren't exactly best friends either. She was a year above me, and was popular. Therefore we didn't 'mingle' and 'hung out' very often - if at all.

"Uhm, alright Alice. That's fine."

"It's just, she's my friend and she's fabulous at doing makeup - hers is impeccable and she offered me help. So, I wanted to give you a heads up," Alice chattered nervously. I rolled my eyes.

"Al! It's okay, really. I don't mind. Honestly." She scrutinized my expression, but I knew that she wouldn't find anything there. I was telling the truth.

She nodded and then slid under the clothes rack. A couple of girls screamed when they saw her tiny legs sticking out, but the she yelled out triumphantly, "I found it! I found it Bells! I found the perfect dress!" She dragged out a gorgeous dress, that other girls eyed enviously. Alice had a tight grip on it though, and growled whenever anyone came close enough to steal it away. The younger ones had fear in their eyes, and stayed out of the way. Alice was a frightening little thing.

When she came up to me, she was all smiles. I was ashamed to say that I was one of those envious girls. The dress took my breath away, and even though I was no expert on clothes and fashion, this was easily the nicest dress here. It was a surprise that no one besides Alice had spotted it quite yet. More surprise came when she shoved the dress in my hands.

"Here you go Bells. Isn't it lovely? I knew it had to be yours when I found it in between the hangers. Shame that no one else found it first."

"Mine? Oh Al, I can't. This is..too much." She scoffed, and pushed me towards the dressing room.

"In you go! Now get dressed," she commanded, and pulled the curtain so that no one could see me undress.

"But what about your dress?" I hollered back.

"I already found mine today during free period! I knew that I'd have no chance of finding yours and mine with all these girls here, so I thought ahead!" Figures. Alice was always thinking five steps ahead of everyone else.

On the bright side, my dress didn't have those torturous corsets like on some of the other dresses. Or the intricate lacing on the back. Nope, mine was a simple zipper on the back, and bam! I was done. Alice knows me so well. I tentatively pulled back the curtain, and saw Alice with a wide grin. I stepped out of the dressing room, and saw some girls glare at me. I wanted to shout out, "Hey! Alice picked out the dress, not me!" but I didn't. I kept my mouth shut and waited for Alice's critique.

"Bella, it was like this dress was designed for you. It's perfect, and it's so..you! I love it. You have to get this dress!" she urged.

"Are you sure it's not too..fancy?"

"Of course not. It's perfect, not too much. And it matches your personality. See, I told you you could look amazing!"

I giggled. Which never happened often. All this madness must be getting to my brain. "Right, well I'm going to undress and get back into my uniform. Now that we have our dresses, let's go out to eat okay? I'm starving."

Just on cue, my stomach began rumbling noisily. It attracted grimaces from girls all around me. I blushed red before Alice and I erupted into laughter.

**Edward Masen**

**January 19th**

**9:49 PM - Dorm Room**

"Yo, Edward. What are you thinking about? You're spacing out on me."

I blinked and then faintly remembered that I was in my dorm room with my roommate Logan. "Sorry, could you say that again?"

"I asked for the sixth time, if you wanted to take a look at the Kentwood girls. See what they have to offer," repeated Logan. He was flipping through last year's yearbook, occasionally stopping on a page, and then turned to the next one.

"First of all, you sound like they're the latest mp3 player that just came out and you're looking through the catalog to see which one has the most gigabytes. They're girls, Log, not material items. Second, we're all wearing masks, so how are you planning to find the girl you want to dance with? And third, how did you even get your hands on that?"

He threw a pillow in response, his way of telling me to shut up. "A, I'm just trying to find Ms. Right. No harm in doing a little research. They listed the likes of each girl too, which is helpful. B, if you were paying attention in the dance workshop this afternoon, you would know that they're all required to wear a dance card that contains their names. But you weren't, as always. And C, that's for me to know, and for you to find out," he grinned cheekily.

I rolled myself off the small twin bed and grabbed the book out of his hands. I sat down in an armchair and began to flip through.

"Knew I could persuade you. Now let's see who's a winner."

I skipped all the way to the Sophomore section, and read through the names. There were pretty girls everywhere, that was clear. But what interested me most were the hobbies. Most of the girls listed "shopping" under theirs, or "singing", which were fine, but I wanted a girl that was different. Then I saw her.

She was stunning, but not like the common type of stunning. She was the kind that made you look twice at her features, commit each one to your memory. She had long brown hair, and in the right light, you could see a few red streaks. Her eyes were big, and chocolate brown. Her lashes were naturally long, and she had full, rosy lips. In her picture she was biting them nervously, like debating on whether she wanted to go through with it or not.

I looked for her name. Isabella Swan. It suited her, no other name would be fitting enough for her. Her likes included reading Jane Austen novels, listening to bands such as Linkin Park, The Fray, or Kate Voegele, and cooking for other people. I immediately liked her.

"So, who are you interested in?" asked Logan over my shoulder. I pointed to the girl after Jessica Stanley.

"Swan? Good choice. She's not bad," he laughed. I glared at him and he took the hint.

"I'm surprised that you didn't go for the obvious choice."

"The obvious choice?" I raised my eyebrow, and he took the book back, and turned back two pages. He stabbed his finger to a blond girl, with a perfect smile. Rosalie Hale. Of course.

"You mean Jasper's sister? She's...attractive, to say the least. But I don't know," I mumbled.

"Dude, she's gorgeous. And she loves fixing up cars, playing baseball, and driving fast. It's like God answered my prayers and sent me her!" I snickered as Logan danced around the room, shouting "Hallelujah!"

"Before you get hitched to her Logan, there's just one..minuscule problem," I choked out while I was laughing.

"Yeah?"

"She's Jasper's sister," I explained reasonably.

"Crap. I forgot about that. Hey, do you think Jazz'll hook me up with her?"

This is going to be one interesting ball. Especially when I meet this Isabella girl.

**Isabella Swan**

**January 20th**

**9:02 AM - Dorm Room**

"Alice, I don't want to be rude, or inhospitable, but when is Rosalie getting here? Her dorm is only a floor above ours, and the dance has already begun!"

She laughed her tinkling laugh and dismissed my whining with a wave of her hand. "There's a reason why it's called being fashionably late. Don't worry, no one worth your time will show up this early. So chill, alright? I think I hear Rose on her way now."

As if she was psychic, there was a knock on our door two seconds later. She opened the door, and in walked Rosalie, with her dress hung over her arm.

"Hey Al! Bella." She gave me a small smile, which I politely returned. "Hello, Rosalie. Shower's free if you want to use it."

"Call me Rose," she said. She grinned, and I relaxed. She was trying to make an effort, so I started to too.

"Let's get busy!" Alice had a curling iron in one hand, and a brush in another. I cringed, this was going to be a long night.

There was a lot of things being done for a couple hours worth of partying. There was waxing, shaving, plucking, trimming, curling, crimping, and I lost count of what was done after that.

"Done! You're a regular modern day Cinderella, Bella! You're Cinderbella!" Alice giggled. She twisted me around, and I could feel my dress twirling around with me.

I paused to take a look in the mirror, and my jaw dropped. My hair was loosely curled, and pinned up into an updo. There were a few stray pieces that framed my heart shaped face. My makeup was simple, courtesy of Rosalie, just a little bit of mascara and lip gloss. And my dress fit perfectly on me, like it did yesterday when I tried it on yesterday.

It was a very simple white strapless ball gown, with a beaded bust and floor length bubble style skirt. It was a Cinderella type dress, and I felt amazing wearing it. Even Rosalie couldn't take away my confidence.

Though Rosalie didn't do a number on my self esteem, it didn't mean that she didn't look absolutely radiant. Her normally wavy hair was straightened, and ended above her waist. She was wearing a purple gown with small beads on the bust and on the skirt. She was also wearing a beaded necklace as well.

Alice looked spectacular as well. She was in an light blue dress, with the dress partially layered with an aqua colored skirt. It was very Alice-like.

"You guys look great too," I gushed. For the first time since I agreed to going to the Masquerade Ball, I was actually excited. Thrilled, even. Maybe the night won't turn out to be a disaster.

"Now for the masks! This wouldn't be a masquerade, if we didn't have some brilliant masks to cover us with." Alice handed Rosalie and I our masks. I had a white and silver mask with white trimmings and a ribbon tie. Alice tied mine on securely, and put on her mask. Hers was a blue eye mask with a silver trim and blue ostrich feathers. Rosalie's was the only one with a gold stick, and was purple and gold.

"Wait, before we go, let me set your cell phone alarms. We don't want to get caught or anything." I handed Alice my Razr and she set it for me. I clipped it onto the strap of my heels.

"There. At exactly 11:55 PM, the alarm will ring, giving us each five minutes to get back to our dorms before Headmistress Cullen punish us for being late to curfew."

"Ready for the gala, darlings?" I drawled exaggeratedly.

**Edward Masen**

**January 20th**

**11:18 PM - Ballroom**

I sighed. The night was so far, mind numbingly dull. I've had offers all night, but none were the girl I was waiting for. They were not Isabella. I almost wanted to kill Emmett for dragging me along, and making me wear this ridiculous mask. The doors to the ballroom opened, and in walked in three girls. There was a tiny pixie girl, a blond girl who I assumed was Rosalie because Jasper looked like he was having a stroke from watching all the guys drool at her, and a brunette that was eying the exit with extreme concentration. That must be Isabella. I was almost certain it was.

There was a soft voice that interrupted me from staring at the beautiful girl any longer. "Excuse me, but would you like to dance?" I looked down to see a cute redhead with freckles biting her lip nervously. Maybe I should dance with her, I'd been so quick to reject all those other girls, and if Isabella didn't accept my request to dance, then the evening would have been a waste. I might as well make the most of it.

"Sure, I'd love to." I bowed down, and took her hand in mine. The string quartet was playing a lively number, which was in my favor, because I didn't want to cuddle up to this girl, even though she was quite sweet. She just wasn't the girl I'm looking for, and I wasn't her prince.

When we moved around the room, I saw the brunette eyeing me curiously. She was amused, and there was questioning in her eyes. Like she was trying to figure out a piece of puzzle. I was so entranced by her that I didn't notice that the song had been over. I thanked the girl and walked towards the brunette.

**Isabella Swan**

**January 20th**

**11:24 PM - Ballroom**

"Look Bella! There's the cute guy that was staring at you earlier. He's coming towards you now," whispered Alice. She tilted her head in the direction the boy was coming from. Indeed, she was right. The guy that had taken my breath away when I saw him was almost near me. He had messy hair in the unusual color of bronze. His emerald green eyes could be seen across the dance floor, and his crooked grin was heart stopping. But no matter how gorgeous he was, I couldn't have any romantic entanglements. This was supposed to be a one time thing only; I didn't want a relationship.

"Alice, give me your dance card!" I whispered back.

"What? Why?"

"Because I said I wanted no ties. I don't want him to find out my real name, because what if he wants to see me again after tonight? I just want a night of fun, Al. Please?" She stared at me incredulous, but gave in. She untied the ribbon on her wrist that was laced to her dance card, and traded with mine. The exchange took less than ten seconds, and I doubt anyone would have seen it.

My heart caught in my throat when I saw that the boy was right in front of me.

"Would the beautiful young lady in front of me grant me the pleasure of dancing with me?"

**Edward Masen**

**January 20th**

**11:26 PM - Ballroom**

There she was. She was right in my grasp, and I wasn't about to let her say no. Of course if she did, it would be a major disappointment, but if I could prevent it, I'll do everything in my power. I turned on my dazzling charm, and bowed in front of her.

"Would the beautiful young lady in front of me grant me the pleasure of dancing with me?" She blushed a vivid red, which was visible, even under the mask.

Her friend nudged her in the ribs, and that's when she gasped. "Oh! Of course. I'd love to dance with you." She smiled brightly and took my hand.

The quartet started playing a new song when we were on the dance floor. Clair De Lune by Debussy. It was the song that I wanted to dance along with her. The girl I was dancing with was far from graceful, but I enjoyed every minute with her. I wanted to know what else she liked, her hobbies, what her pet peeves were.

"So, dear Miss, may I ask you your name?" I didn't want to frighten her away by telling her I already knew that she was Isabella.

She gave me a coy smile and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Mary Alice, but you can call me Al." I stared at her in disbelief. Alice? It couldn't be true! The girl in the picture's name is Isabella, not Alice. I stole a peek at her dance card, and there it was in bold print, Mary Alice Brandon. I sighed. Alright, so this isn't the girl I wanted to meet, but that's okay. Maybe I'll see her later on - if she came at all.

As I lead her around the room, she leaned closer to me, close enough that I smelled her pleasant fragrance. A very floral scent, freesia maybe? "Now that you asked me a question, can I ask you one too?" Alice whispered into my ear. I shivered from the warm breeze. She giggled so quietly that I wasn't sure she wanted me to hear.

"Of course."

"What is your name, kind sir?"

"Edward, Edward Masen." She was quiet for a minute, thinking about what she should say next. "I have some place I want to show you," she blew in my ear again. I locked eyes with her, confusion in mine, anticipation in hers. She grabbed my hands in hers, and the contact made my skin tingle. Like it was on fire, a shock that was so surprising.

Then, we were outside, and she was leading me to a white gazebo, with all kinds of different flowers twisting along the rails.

She sat down on the bench and gestured me to do the same. "So? What do you think?"

"I think that maybe you're about to burst into song like in the The Sound of Music," I said conversationally, unable to keep the grin from spreading across my face. She laughed and lightly hit me on the arm.

"No, seriously, this place is amazing. Kind of like you." It was corny, cheesy, and cliche. The three c's to total humiliation. But apparently, she didn't think so and kissed me on the cheek. I was never the one to blush, so when she did that, my face probably had a pink tinge on it by now. The spot where her soft lips touched was on fire, like when our hands were joined. It was an exhilarating feeling, something I'd never experienced before ever in my life.

"Can I ask you some questions then?" she said timidly. I nodded. "As long as I can too."

"Well, Mr. Masen, what brought you here to this lovely night? You don't look like that type that go to balls and fancy occasions - no offense intended."

I laughed. "No offense taken. My friends had somehow dragged me along to scope out the girls at your school. I didn't want to agree to it at first, but my friends had persuaded me."

"Your friends sound like my friends. They wanted me to go out, since I don't go out much."

"Why?"

"I've never thought much about fun and spending the night outside of my room, to be honest. I'd much prefer reading a good book or working on my studies. In my opinion, a much better way to spend my time, then to, as my friends like to call it 'boy hunt'. God, when I say it out loud, it sounds like some sort of masochistic sport."

I chuckled. "I'm a little like you in a way. I play some sports too, baseball and basketball mainly, but other than that I don't have much of a social life." Did I just admit that to her? I mentally scorned myself. It was too easy talking with her.

"Oh really?" She paused to arch one of her eyebrows, "No dates then?"

"There haven't been any girls that caught my interest until tonight," I replied simply. She blushed under my gaze, which was very sweet.

"So, Mr. Masen, I have just one more question for you," she announced during the comfortable silence we had lapsed into.

"Anything for you Ms. Brandon." It was weird calling her that, when in my heart I knew her real name should be Isabella Swan.

"Do you regret meeting me tonight?" It was a completely honest question, and there was doubt in her eyes, like this was far too good to be true. Too good to be real. I had a hard time believing it myself.

"Never," I said softly. Even though she wasn't the girl I was searching for, I wouldn't trade this night for anything in the world. She leaned in closer, and I kissed her. At first, my lips were just grazing hers, but then I deepened it, and there were feelings that I never felt before overwhelming me. There was heat, passion, there was lust, caring, friendship, everything that never occurred to me before this girl. Our lips moved together in perfect sync, like they were made for each other only. She wrapped her arms around my head, pulling me closer to her than any other time this night. Eventually we had to break away for air. The kiss left us both gasping for air, and our cheeks flushed.

"That was..wow." Wow was an understatement, but it was all I could utter out coherently without sounding like a babbling idiot.

"Edward, I-" Before she could finish her sentence, there was a loud beeping sound coming from her shoe. Silently she cursed and pulled out a white Razr. She flashed me the time and sighed in an exasperated way.

"Curfew. It's been great evening. Thank you, Mr. Masen," she grinned.

She was leaving the gazebo and I called her name before she left me completely. "Wait! Will I ever see you again?" I may have a hint of desperation in my voice, but if this beautiful girl that sent electric shocks to my brain every time we touch was going to leave, I needed to know that I'd see her again.

"Only if fate destined us to meet again!" she yelled back, before hurrying away.

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**a/n: Aww! Hehe. Reminds me of Cinderella. Which the story is loosely based on, but not so much. If you like it, I may turn this one-shot into a story, but who knows -shrugs-. Pictures of the uniforms and gowns are on my profile. I have Edward's, Jasper's, and Emmett's masks on there too, even though I didn't talk a lot about theirs.**

**Why didn't Bella give Edward her real name?**

**Because she doesn't want a relationship right now, and if she did give him her real name, then Edward might try to find her. She doesn't want any romantic entanglements.**

**Read and review (: !**


	2. Destined

**All characters and anything else related to the Twilight saga belong to Stephenie Meyer. In shorter words, I don't own anything.**

**Due to popular demand, I've decided to continue the story. I don't know how often I'll update, because this is just a leisurely thing to do. I still have to finish my other story (which you should check out after you read this!), because it has only two chapters left before it's complete.**

**Updates for this story will take longer because of the length of it. Since it's longer than what I usually write (I only made this long because I was planning for it to be a oneshot), it'll take me a longer time to get the story out. **

* * *

**Destined**

* * *

**Edward Masen**

**January 21**

**7:00 AM - Dorm Room**

I couldn't sleep all night, so I laid in my bed for the past..something hours listening to the snores of Logan. It's like sleeping next to a grizzly bear. Most of the time, I'd have to have my headphones on, and turn the music almost to the highest volume to drown him out. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but for the most part, it was true.

When I got home last night, Emmett and Jasper had bombarded me with questions. Did I have fun? Meaning, in a very subtle way, did I meet any girls to hook up with? I told them of the beautiful girl I danced wtih, the one that kissed me and then ran off. They were quiet for a minute before erupting into tumultuous laughter. I glared at them, and spit out a string of curse words and threats. Luckily that seemed to repress them.

More questions came. Like why didn't I ask Logan to find the girl in the yearbook for me. I did ask him, right when I got home, but Logan had told me he had the book confiscated during the manners workshop. Typical. During the time I've known Logan, I noticed that he wasn't the best person you can count on for being incognito.

Emmett was asking me why I was so hung up on just one girl. He was curious, in an almost innocent way, but like I said, almost. I said I didn't know, which was the sincerest answer I had. He clapped me hard on the back and told me not to give up. Even though he agitated me and embarrassed me to no end, he was the big brother that I never had.

Jasper had suggested that we should go to town, that maybe the girl I was with might be there too. It was a long shot, but it did sound better than staying under my covers all day.

So that was the plan for today. Emmett and I were going to head to downtown Seattle for the day and go sightseeing. Jasper had to stay home and finish his Economics paper that he procrastinated on. He and I were being joined by a couple of other guys too, Mike and Tyler. It seemed like a harmless idea at first, but then again, we're going to be out with Emmett.

The alarm clock rang, beeping relentless until I accidentally dropped it on the floor. That's one way to wake up. I threw off the covers and made the bed. It was too early to get up; normally I'd be asleep until noon as today was a Saturday, but at least now I'll get the first shower. I could use the hot water.

I brushed my teeth thoroughly, trying to waste as much time as possible. When I got into the shower, the hot water was amiable to my sore muscles. Ten minutes later, I wrapped a shower around my waist, and attempted to comb my unruly hair. No matter what I did, it returned back to a messy disarray. I dressed in a warm sweater and jeans and went to the dining room for breakfast.

There were very few early birds, some were wide awake, some were busy dozing over their morning cup of coffee. I got a few pieces of toast and some orange juice and ate quickly. I still had two hours to kill before we had to set out. I was walking around aimlessly, not noticing where I was going. The teachers never cared where the students went off to during the weekend because they trusted us enough that no one would do something stupid enough to be arrested by the police. Which was true. Our parents had paid a fortune to get us here and no one wanted to get kicked out. If you did, you can kiss your chances of college goodbye and say hello to a job in the fast food industry. The trees towering over me weren't high enough to block out the gloomy clouds that hung overhead. Fantastic day. My thoughts were dripping with sarcasm. I saw the Kentwood school up ahead, which meant that I must've walked for several miles already.

There was something on the road that caught my eye, and I bent down to get a closer look. It was a white mask, like the one Alice wore last night. I skimmed the beading embezzled in it. My heart throbbed in my throat. Maybe I had a chance yet.

**Isabella Swan**

**January 21**

**9:12 AM - Dorm Room**

There was someone yelling loudly, and I was constantly being hit by a pillow. I didn't need to open my eyes to know who was doing this. I wanted to stay in my dreams, my captivating dreams. The ones about Edward and I having a daytime picnic. Or digging out feet in the sand. Or riding a Ferris wheel at the fair. Fantasies that my subconscious had conjured up.

"I'm up, Al! I'm awake. You can stop pummeling me anytime now."

"Great! Take a shower and get dressed! I laid out your clothes for today. We're going to the mall!" The cheeriness in her voice bothered me. Her voice was almost too chipper. She just had to be a morning person.

I didn't bother with the shower since I showered last name. I brushed my hair and my teeth. Then after washing my face quickly, I saw the outfit Alice laid out on the counter. My jaw dropped.

"Alice! No way in heck am I wearing this!" I protested.

"You will! If you don't, I'll attack you with a mascara wand and eyeliner pencil!" she threatened.

"But I know you're already going to do that! There's no way I can win," I grunted. This was another fight I knew I'd give in to. So instead of countering back with weak statements, I surrendered and put on the white tights and jean skirt. I wore the maroon sweater over a lace trimmed camisole.

She clapped happily when I opened the bathroom door. I pursed my lips in a very thin line. "You're lucky I love you Al, or else I'd have to kill you."

"Violent much Bella? You should be happy your shoes have no heel whatsoever. They're boots." And she handed me a pair of tan winter boots that I slipped my feet in. Well, at least I'm warm.

"Now let's go! We'll get some coffee on the way to wake you up. Rose is going to drive us in her M3, so hurry!"

When we got into Rose's car, I shivered involuntarily. It was chilly. The top was down and it was well noticeable and ostentatious compared to the other cars in the student parking lot.

"NorthGate Mall here we come!" giggled Alice. For a small girl, she had a bubbling amount of excitement. Too bad it wasn't also contagious.

In my mind there was a small speck of regret for not telling Edward my real name. It was for the best. I kept reminding myself that every time I felt weak. Because in reality, it was. We were both boarding school brats. It wasn't as if we went to public school, because then maybe the situation might be different. But no, I had my studies, he had his. I contemplated reason after reason why it was a good idea to have avoided him. He was drop dead, jaw dropping, butterflies in the stomach, gorgeous. Although the mask obscured some of his face, there was no doubt that he was. And his lips..they were so soft and gentle. I savored the taste of them; he tasted unbelievably delicious.

I've only had two boyfriends, but neither of them were really serious. There was Ben Cheney, a sweet guy that also went to Hamilton. He was a sophomore, like me. We went out when I first transferred to Kentwood last year in the middle of the first semester. He was..sweet. That was the best way to describe him. A little obsessed with kung fu action films and comic books for my taste, but he was otherwise the nicest guy I knew. There wasn't any spark and we were broken up by the end of the week. It was mutual of course, and it wasn't like we still didn't talk. In my spare time, I'd plug in my laptop and email him the rare email. He was now currently going out with Angela, which was fine by me. They deserved each other and I couldn't be happier.

Then there was Jacob Black. He was my longtime best friend and neighbor. I've known him my whole life, since I was in diapers. We went out in the summer of 8th grade as an experiment, but he wanted more, he wanted a serious relationship. I didn't want to get all hot and heavy when I knew I was leaving the next year. He was disappointed, but he understood. I kept in touch with him too, and now he has a new girlfriend named Leah. I've talked to Leah as well, and though I didn't...approve of her attitude, she made him happy. Which made me happy.

So everyone had a happy ending except for me, and I was fine with that. I went to Kentwood to escape the male population. Not mate with them. Edward was better off without me.

I hadn't even noticed that we were in the parking lot of the NorthGate Mall until Rose's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"We're here!"

But to my surprise, Rose hadn't unlocked the car doors yet. I was confused. Why weren't we getting out of the ar.

"Now Bella, spill. We want to know what happened with that masked stranger you left with last night at the ball," commanded Alice from the passenger seat.

Ah, of course. I should've known. Last night, to elude from Alice's questioning, I pretended to be asleep. I had a feeling that she didn't quite buy my acting, but I didn't think too much of it. Now came the interrogation from both Alice and Rose! Perfect timing, Bella. Good going.

"What is there to spill?" I muttered under my breath. I ignored their scowls and fixed my gaze on the mall itself.

Apparently Alice heard me regardless of my incomprehensible mumble. "Who was he? What was his name? Why did you trade name cards with me?"

I took a deep breath. This would take a while. No wonder Alice wanted to get a head start, we were going to be here for a while. "His name is Edward Masen. He goes to Hamilton obviously. And I traded name cards with you because I didn't want to expect anything heavy."

"Go on," Rose prompted. Her voice had an edge to it, and I almost flinched. Never get on Rose's nerve.

"Okay, after he whisked me away like a gentleman, he asked me what my name was..so I lied. I said my name was Alice. He believed me to some extent. Then I led him outside to the gazebo. I don't know why I did it. I never show anyone the gazebo except for you Al. It was like he had some sort of spell on me. He made some silly crack about how I was about to bust into song like in The Sound of Music. We talked for a bit. But the conversation was so easy..even if the subject we were talking about was maybe a little too deep for two people that have just met. And then..we kissed."

"You kissed? How was it? Was it good? Did he try anything inappropriate? Do I need to kick his gorgeous, firm butt? What do you mean to some extent?" Alice screeched. I held up a hand.

"I can only answer them one at a time Al. Cranking out question after question and flinging at me at rapid speed isn't going to speed it up," I said sarcastically.

She apologized and I continued where I left off. "Yes, we kissed. It was..unbelievable. Incredible. Fantastic. Terrific. Whatever adjective you want to use. Way better than Ben or Jacob, no offense to either of them. But when I kissed him, there were sparks, real sparks. Like in those old black and white movies. Actually, I shouldn't say sparks. That would be an understatement. It was a wildfire of passion, corny as that sounds. No, he was a complete gentleman, throughout the whole night. No, Al, you don't have to kick his gorgeous, firm butt. When I mean to some extent..I mean like, he believed me. But there was doubt in my eyes. Like he knew what my name was, and saw through my façade. It was unnerving."

Rosalie quickly analyzed every word that came out of my big mouth. "Sounds like you're falling for him, Bella."

I gaped at her. "No, no way. Well sort of."

"By the way, what happened to the mask I gave you, Bella?"

I froze. The..mask? Oh man, oh man, oh man. "I kind of..left it on the windowsill." I wonder, was it still there? The window was opened last night so..holy crow. It didn't..it wouldn't!

As if she was reading my mind, Alice spoke up, "It's okay Bella. The mask didn't cost me anything. It came from the costume department and it's not like they're going to miss one little mask." She rolled her eyes at my mini freak out session.

"Okay, now that we have all the details about Bella's love life, can we go shopping now?" Rose pleaded.

I nodded, and got out the car, which by now was unlocked.

"Bella, since you have a new man in your life, you know what that means?" Alice had a devious grin, and Rose mimicked hers. I gulped; this couldn't be good. It's never good when Alice had a plan. I've learned this the hard way.

"Victoria's Secret!"

**Edward Masen**

**January 21**

**10:20 AM - Baskin Robbins, NorthGate Mall**

I showed Emmett the mask Alice wore last night, and told him my theory of how it has to be fate. After all, Alice did say we would meet again if it was destined to be. This has to be a sign, God was being merciful.

He laughed and told me to lay off the coffee. Some friend.

We were walking around the mall, sometimes going into a store, but now the four of us, Emmett, Tyler, Mike, and I were at Baskin Robbins. There was a cute blond girl with wispy blond hair working the counter who glanced our way every couple of minutes. It was flattering, especially when she blushed every time that she was caught, but I wasn't interested in the slightest.

"Where do you guys want to go next?" Tyler asked. His Rainbow Sherbet ice cream was all over his mouth, giving him the appearance of a clown. I tried not to lock eyes with any of the other guys because I knew if I did, my laughter that I had been trying to contain for the past ten minutes would erupt and my effort would have been for nothing.

"Dude, you want to check out the Victoria's Secret store? I saw these three chicks that walked in there earlier. Might be worth some laughs," suggested Mike. Emmett and Tyler were enthusiastic in a way that I was not. We left the ice cream shop, and the cashier was frowning dejectedly.

Emmett was my ride home, so seeing as I had no choice, I followed them, trailing behind.

**Isabella Swan**

**January 21**

**10:25 - Victoria's Secret, NorthGate Mall**

My stomach was churning the minute Alice and Rose dragged me here. We've been here for almost forty minutes, and Alice kept up the constant piling of undergarments.

"Bella, I swear this is the last one. Just put this on, and we can go get a late breakfast," she promised. Rose agreed and went to the cashier to pay for her purchases. Fortunately for her everything she tried on was a perfect fit and hugged her curves. She might as well stood in the store window and stayed there as a window model. I'm sure sales would spike if she did work there.

I sighed. "Last one." She handed me a full outfit, because we were done with the sexy panty and bra set, thank goodness. My cheeks reddened to about six different types of red when Alice had forced me to demonstrate each pair outside of the dressing room. How demeaning. I was a show dog.

As far as the outfits go, this one wasn't too bad. That didn't mean that it was appropriate at any means though. Where did Alice think I'd wear this outfit to, by choice? Outfits were mandatory throughout the week, and we were underage and couldn't go to any bars or clubs without being carded. Well, I wouldn't. Alice probably could if she had the right heels to make up for her height. Rose would be let in, easily, with an entourage following her along the way.

The horrifying outfit consisted of low rise black skinny jeans (and I mean low rise! Literally!) and a silk halter top. A very sheer halter top. Sheer enough that everything under the bust was see through! Great. I grinded my teeth together. The sooner I put it on, the sooner I can put it off. Still..this had to be the worst one out of the bunch. Even worse than the bras and panties. Here's what I'm thinking; the bras and panties are nothing because no one has to see it but me. My clothes would layer them. The shirts I'd wear would be on display for everyone to see. Not so good.

But this shirt (if you can even call it a shirt) was worse than the last one, and that was saying something. The seersucker baby doll top gave me cleavage that I didn't know I had and practically had them pour over the top. Nice.

"Bella! You done?" Alice yelled. I cursed. I've been doing this more and more by the minute. Calm, Bella. You can do this.

I opened the dressing room door to see the last person I expected.

Edward Masen.

**Edward Masen**

**January 21**

**10:30 - Victoria's Secret, NorthGate Mall**

My jaw dropped. I can hear it hit the floor with a thud. That was how stunned I was to see Alice Brandon right in front of me, in the most seductive shirt I have ever seen. She turned the brightest shade of red before sprinting back inside the dressing room.

"Damn! Who was that?" Tyler hollered. Figures. He had to say something like that.

I growled. Emmett understood why I was fuming and punched Tyler in the shoulder. "That's Edward's girl, man. Whatsherface. But I agree. That was..something alright."

I rolled my eyes. Thanks for the help, Em. "Will you guys stop drooling? It's not that attractive on any three of you. Especially you, Mike."

The small girl and blond that was with Alice yesterday at the dance came over to us. I nodded to the tiny one in acknowledgment. "Please excuse our shy friend. She doesn't handle embarrassing situations well. I'm Al-Ashley. This is my friend Rosalie Hale." She pointed to the blond.

"Edward Masen. These are my friends Emmett McCarty, Mike Newton, and Tyler Crowley." After introductions were done, Alice came back out with her cheeks burning red.

"I don't think we've met before. Hi, I'm Mike. Your future boyfriend, nice to meet you," Mike said. He grinned at her and was shocked when Alice slapped him across the face. "Not nice to meet you," she sneered. I guess she was upset over the ordeal. This wasn't working out in my favor.

"Hello Mary Alice Brandon, it appears that fate had destined us to meet again," I chuckled.

"Appears so," she said curtly. She turned to her friends, and said, "Can we go now? I tried on everything you wanted. Are we done?"

"Yeah, we're done. Come on, Al. Nice meeting you guys," answered Ashley. She, Rose, and Alice went and paid for their purchases. That's when I did something amazingly stupid for someone who had better sense.

"Wait!" They turned around just as they neared the entrance of the store. Good. I had their attention. I caught up to them instantly and was beside Alice. "Alice, I apologize for my behavior and my friends. It was very rude to gawk, and Mike had no reason to act that way towards you. Please, let us buy you lunch as our way of making up to you." Ashley whispered something in her ear and Alice cooled down immensely.

"Okay, but we'll pay for ourselves," she compromised. I was about to argue when she cut me off, "Take or leave it."

I called my friends over, and explained to them what was going down. They loved the idea, maybe too much. We decided on Greek Fiesta for our dining. We were met with an eager hostess named Brenda who seated us. Alice was on my right while Emmett was on my left. Next to him was Rosalie, who he was preoccupied with.

Our waitress was a petite girl which the name tag read Melanie. "How can I serve you guys today?"

"Let's see, there's..seven of us," Emmett counted, "so seven orders of water. I'll get the Greek Platter. What do you guys want?"

"Fiesta Veggie!"

"Can I get the Fresh Greek Salad?"

"Authentic Lamb Kebab."

"Eww! Lamb? You're so a sadistic lion! How could you eat a poor baby lamb?" cried Ashley.

"Fine, I won't get the lamb kebab. I'll get the falafel then. Happy Ashley? Or do you not want me to eat the wittle tomatoes too?" laughed Tyler. She glowered at him, while the rest of us succumbed to laughter.

"I'll take the Cheese Melt," ordered Mike.

I watched Alice from the corner of my eye as she was going over the selection. What did she like? Was she a vegetarian? I wanted to find out. "The White Tuna Melt, I suppose." I ordered the same as her.

"Are you afraid of Ashley ranting about eating a poor innocent chicken like I am?" I whispered to her. She giggled. She had such a nice laugh. Irresistible and catching, because I found myself laughing with her.

"Something like that. I'm surprised she didn't lecture the both of us about the importance of tuna," she whispered back.

"Hey! What are you two lovebirds talking about over there? In case you haven't noticed, you're not the only ones here. If you want to nibble on her ear so badly, Eddie, why not ask her out a date later?" complained Mike. I scowled. I never really liked him much. I tolerated him only because he was friends with Tyler, one of my closer friends. He was a baby at times, and kept clinging onto Emmett and I. "Like you don't want to yourself Mike. I saw the way you were staring at her," Emmett retorted back.

"Oh yeah? If I recall right, Edward was the one catching flies in his mouth. No doubt picturing her in her underwear!"

"I think you have me confused with yourself. I don't mind reminding you but you are not me. No matter how you style your hair," I reciprocated. His face drained of all the color he had in it and hurt flashed crossed his eyes. It was way below the belt, but I was sick and tired of it. I saw the girls' disapproving expressions, but I didn't care about them. I only cared about the girl sitting right next to me, her hands in her lap, and the grim expression on her face. She stared right through me, like I was the bad guy. I had enough of this.

"Excuse me, I need to get some air." I rose from the table and left the restaurant.

What was I thinking? I'm in way over my head. I sat down on one of the benches far away from the restaurant. Storming out of there was definitely not my brightest idea. When I returned, and I had to return because I reminded myself again, Emmett was my ride home, everyone would've tried to hide the fact that they were talking about me. Ridiculous. I wanted to punch Mike in the face for embarrassing me in front of Alice. Unfortunately, my guilty conscience wouldn't leave, so therefore I didn't have the nerve to go do so. I pinched the bridge of my nose, a habit I've inherited from my father whenever I was stressed out.

"Are you okay?" I heard a small voice say. I turned to see Alice sitting right next to me, with a worried eyes and a sad smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I needed to cool off, that's all. Why are you here? Why aren't you having lunch with the others?"

"It got really quiet after you left. Mike left to go to the bathroom and Rose was texting on her phone. Besides, without you there, I'd have to face the wrath of Al-Ashley by myself," she joked, trying to lighten my mood.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry for the commotion I caused in there. I also want to apologize again for the..Victoria's Secret..incident. But if it's any consolation, you looked better than any of the models in their catalog," I teased. Her face turned red, and I was about to take back my idiotic comment when she snickered. What was so funny?

"Hmm, you seem to be an expert on those models then? You must've paid extra close detail to those models am I right? I think you've been spending too much time in the bathroom, Edward. Maybe you should take a break once in a while and meet some _real_ girls," she snorted. Now it was my turn to blush. She was always so witty with a comeback; is she really real? Or is this one of those wild dreams?

"Touche. Very well played." I did a very risky move, and stroked her cheek, ever so lightly. It was purely a test, to see if the flames were there from last night, and they were. Strong than before, multiplied by a thousand.

"Edward.."

"Alice, I like you a lot. I just wanted to let you know that," I murmured.

She shook her head defiantly. "Edward, no. I'm not the girl you think I am..I'm not worth your time. Trust me on this."

I scoffed. "I think I know how I feel better than you do, Alice. _I_ happen to think that you are worth every minute of my time, and more. You said last night at the ball that we will see each other if fate destined us to meet. Look where that lead us. This isn't some silly coincidence. You know that this could be something more. I'll prove it to you." I dug into my jean pockets until I found what I hunting for. I pulled out the mask that was the sidewalk.

"I found _this_ this morning when I was out on a morning stroll. This is your proof." She examined is closely and furrowed her eyebrows in frustration.

"Edward, this isn't - I can't - No, not - You are - Freakin' heck," she grumbled. She muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like _This is not what I intended._

"Edward, please listen to me. There's a lot you don't know about me, a lot you don't want to know. You're better off without me. I have to go," she pleaded. She kissed me swiftly on the cheek and ran off to the restaurant. I strode off behind her, and caught up to her with no trouble. I grabbed ahold of both of her wrists and stopped her from advancing. Sure, there were people staring and several weird looks were aimed our way, but I wasn't about to let her go.

"Alice, why are you being so difficult?"

"Because I'm not Alice!" she yelled back. I paused, my hands drifting back to my side paralyzed.

"I got to go, Edward. This was a bad idea. I'm sorry." She pushed me away and ran inside the restaurant.

She was not..Alice? What did she mean by that? Of course she is! She had to be..but then what she saying? This is more confusing that I would've thought to be. Only then did I realize how moronic and psychotic I was acting. Who am I to say that she belonged with me? She hardly knew me, and I her. For all I know, we could have nothing in common at all. She could have a boyfriend for heavens' sake! And there I got acting like an obsessive stalker. She didn't want me, she made that evident. I should've listened to her. _Why_ didn't I listen to her? Going on about how it was fate that we met, I must've scared the poor girl to death.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do right. The one thing I wouldn't screw up. The only thing that would relieve me from this pounding pain coursing from my brain to my heart.

I ran.

**Isabella Swan**

**January 23**

**11:40 AM - Trigonometry, Mr. Varner's Room**

I am an idiot. An utterly deranged idiot that has no regard for anyone else's feelings but my own. This was worse than I thought it would turn out.

It's been a couple days since I've seen Edward at the mall. I felt so horrible, doing that to him. He unmistakably liked me, and he told me that himself, and I had to shut him down. I had to dig out his heart and crush it with my bare hands.

I am a horrible person.

"Isabella!" Mr. Varner prompted, "What are the three trigonometric ratios?"

He was checking to see if I had been paying attention to his lecture, which I wasn't, but I knew the answer to this one. I spent all of yesterday studying because I feared if I stepped out of my dorm room, I'd run into Edward again. Alice mocked me, but I held my ground.

"Sines, Cosines, and Tangents," I replied shortly. This was all too easy.

"Uh, that's correct," he stuttered. I'd be surprise too. I've been doodling in my math notebook instead of copying down the actual notes. There were little hearts everywhere with my name in cursive, _Isabella Marie Masen_. I'm acting like some silly lovestruck girl, which I'm not. Maybe the silly part, but I did not, can not, and will not fall for Edward Masen.

I saw the hurt in his eyes, the apprehension when I told him I was not Alice. True, I didn't explain that fully, but I suppose he would've figured it out by now. He's an intelligent guy, with a little research, I'm sure he'll find out that Alice was really my best friend.

I told the truth, I faced the music, so why did I feel even worse than before? There was a constant pang in my heart, a stabbing pang, that made it impossible to concentrate on anything.

I was sitting with Angela and Alice at our regular lunch table. Rose was friendlier to me, but we weren't quite friends yet. I wonder if we'll ever be.

"Bella, are you regretting telling Edward?" asked Angela. Alice had informed her of everything at dinner time last night when we had gotten home from the mall with our purchases. Angela was one of my best friends, but sometimes she was too perceptive.

"I don't know if I made the right choice or not. God, why did I have to trade name cards with Alice? I should've just told him my real name and then none of this would've happened." I banged my head on the table and let my bangs cover my eyes.

"Bella, sweetie, don't worry. If it was meant to be, it will all work out in the end. You're worrying yourself over nothing. Edward needed to know that you were someone else. If you lead him on, and then told him when you guys have fallen deeply for each other, the wound would much deeper, and who knows how badly you'd feel then. There will be a silver lining soon," assured Angela. There were words coming out of her mouth but I couldn't understand any of them. They sounded like garble, like the adults when they're talking Charlie Brown. All I heard was _"Wah wah wah wah, wah wah, wah wah!"_

But I didn't let Angela know that. She cared enough about me to offer me advice, I didn't want to let her down and hurt her feelings too just because I'm a cruel and heartless person. "Thanks, Ang. I appreciate that pep talk." I smiled, but in her eyes was a skeptical look. She knew I was lying but did not say anything more.

"Bella!" I lifted my head up a little more to see a stern Alice. I grimaced. "Yes Al?"

"I've got a letter for you." I shot up from my seat.

"A letter?"

"Rose gave it to me. You know that day at the mall when we had lunch? Emmett and her really hit it off, and they got to talk. Emmett is Edward's best friend so he passed to letter to Emmett to give to Rose to give to me to give to you," she explained.

I stared at the white envelope. It was a creamy color, and smooth. On the back it said, _To The Victoria's Secret Girl_. I beamed. Maybe he wasn't mad at me at all. That was unlikely, but I had hope. But then the pessimistic side of me had to destroy that ray of hope. What if this was his way of telling me that he never wished to see me again? What if he wanted to tell me how mean I am to take advantage of him like that? I deserved everything I was going to get, but it was hard to swallow of it.

I tore it off slowly, because I was scared. Alice tapped her foot impatiently. Did I want to read this? Of course I did. Then why is my gut tellng me that I shouldn't? That I should simply throw this in the trashcan and forget that it ever existed? I pushed that instinct away, and unfolded the letter. The script was fairly elegant and regal. Like it belonged in some 1900s era instead of modern day. I read each and every word carefully and dissected it for any meaning.

_Dearest Victoria's Secret Girl,_

_It's been days since I've talked to you. Is it so wrong of me to say that I've missed you? Or is that too much?_

_You never gave me a thorough explanation. You told me that your name wasn't Alice, and that you weren't the girl I thought you were. What does that mean? Do you care to explain yourself? I've pondered for nights. _

_Please, tonight, meet me at the gazebo, at 8:15 PM. Then you can finish off what you started. If you don't come, I'll understand. But if you do not desire to see me in your life again, then please, do not feel obligated to meet me. I just want to know why you ran off like that._

_Edward_

"Well? Are you going to meet him?" Alice demanded. I was frightened and nearly fell out of my seat when I learned that she had been reading over my shoulder the entire time.

I thought about it. Was it a good idea? I'd be breaking so many rules..going off campus..sneaking out of the dorms..especially after curfew! My parents raised me better than that! And yet I was most tempted.

"I don't know..should I?"

"It's not up to me, Bells. But he's right you know. He deserved better than that four word answer you gave him."

I closed my eyes for a minute. I drowned everything except for my thoughts. It was irrational to behave like this. It was wrong to consider sneaking out. But..my heart wants to, so bad. He gave me a way out, he told me I didn't have to meet him. I could just stay in my bed safely, and he'd never bother me again. But was that what I wanted?

"I'm going," I announced.

"Good for you Bells. See? There's your silver lining, right there," Angela laughed.

I pray to God that it was a silver lining. But something in my gut tells me that a storm is brewing overhead...


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Status As Of 08.18.08:**

School will be starting in less than two weeks for me, and I haven't lately have the time (or energy) to come up with new stories, or continue the one I have in progress right now. It's peeving me off that I can't do much about it because my time has been consumed with more important matters (coursework, and the one that has most of my attention at the moment - my personal life).

I feel like I'm being such a let down to all my wonderful readers and reviewers that continually wait for an update or an alert. I almost wish that they would just give up on me so that I wouldn't feel as guilty for not devoting more time to my writing. Almost.

So, I am offering to give up the reins to _Masqueraded_ to someone else who has the time to continue it, and please my readers. Keep in mind that that person has to do my story right and be able to update more than I can offer. If you are interested, please PM me and I'll ask a few questions before giving up my rights as the author.

If I cannot find a reasonable choice to take control, then I will put the story on permanent hiatus until further notice.

I don't know what else to say, but good luck to those who loyally stuck with me and continued to read my works after _Breaking Dawn_ had been released. You guys are awesome. Keep on reading!

**oh teenuh**


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